Lately I have been working hard to get rid of things, and generally declutter. I have been carrying around many things from apartment to apartment that I never look at, much less use. (In my family, these sorts of things are called “Goat Brassieres.” Dead handy items in the right circumstances, but why hold on to them if you no longer have a goat?) I’ve started getting rid of books, even. Me! Getting rid of books! Surely that’s blasphemy in some fashion or other. Books, clothing, you name it. I’m taking a good hard look at everything I own and asking myself important questions like: Do I use this? Have I ever used this? Do I even like it? Where did this come from again? etc.

But really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because one of the things I have a whole bunch of is…magazines.

*Taps microphone and clears throat nervously*

Hello. I am the Celticangel and I am an Information Packrat.

You perhaps think that I joke with you all. But it is the truth. I assure you. With a French accent, even. Vous savez?

It is also interesting to look into my past this way. I mean, why the heck did I feel the need to keep this or that magazine in the first place? In some cases, it’s obvious. (Hello! Travis Fimmel is on the front.) In others…not so much. (Okay…this has one small advert for the Return of the King DVD. Otherwise…I haven’t a clue.) Also…sometimes it’s a little embarrassing. This is only one of the reasons that I have placed the other four pictures behind the cut. The other reason being to make it easier on your computer to load the initial post. (Yeah. That’s it. That’s the ticket.) The reason for the magazine at the top of this post should be fairly obvious. I like Buffy. Do I need to keep it? No.

Okay. The rest of the mug shots are under here…

Here we see a copy of Starlog that I can’t figure out the specific reason for. I actually never even saw the original Alien Nation. A mystery to be sure.

This is one of my stack of Fall Preview Guides. I used to collect them, not only to determine if there would be anything new and interesting coming up, but also as a reference source for obscure shows. Recently, though, they’ve been canceling my shows sooner/more often. It used to be that you could mostly hope for at least one season. Now you’re lucky to get seven episodes. Growl. It has really turned me off to the whole “getting exited for the Fall” thing. I must finally admit that I’m keeping these for no reason. Le Sigh.

Here we see the official magazine for the Outsiders movie that I never saw. I loved the book. I loved a certain actor on that cover. *coughtopleftcough* I got the magazine with my hard-earned allowance, read it, and then never saw the film. Away it goes.

Behold! A copy of Tiger Beat. May I just ask…what’s with the sock, Mr. Haim? As near as I can tell, I purchased this magazine for River Phoenix. *sniffle* I’m still upset about his death, darn it! I am not upset enough, it would seem, to keep this Tiger Beat from October of 1988, though.

This is only a small portion of my magazines. Frankly, this amazes me as I am constantly trying to make my…er…collection smaller. I suppose it’s a continual process. Sigh. My main problem with getting rid of some of these magazines is the sneaking suspicion that someone out there might want them. On the other hand, should I really add to someone else’s clutter?

Well, I’d better get back to the boxes. TTFN.

I couldn’t decide what image to use here, so I went with the cute kitty. Look! It’s Sam under a blanket!

Anyway, I’ve decided to participate in the 101 things in 1001 days meme. I’ve got a couple of friends doing it, and it looked like fun. I’ll be posting it in the “Notes” page and updating it there as I accomplish things. That way we don’t have to go digging to find the list over the next 2.75 years.

Start: Saturday, March 15, 2008
End: Saturday, December 11, 2010 (12/11/10! Tee hee.)

101 things to do in the next 1001 days.

Going Places

1. Go to the Hiller Aviation Museum and write it up.
2. Go to the Chabot and write it up.
3. Go to the Pez Museum and write it up.
4. Go on Photo Safari to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
5. Go to Ardenwood Farm and write it up
6. Go to the Niles Essenay and write it up
7. Take the Niles Canyon Train and write it up
8. Visit a new state with the Hubby.
9. Take a trip to Atlanta.
10. Go swimming at Anini Beach while wearing goggles and fins.
11. Go out drinking with my sister.
12. Take my brother to see a film.
13. Take my Father to tea.
14. Spend a day with my Mum however she wants to.
15. Do the “Day of C” with my Husband.
16. Go to a county fair.
17. Go to church.
18. Go to the San Mateo library.

Learning Things

19. Learn 5 words of Scots Gaelic
20. Learn 5 words of Irish
21. Learn 5 words of Welsh
22. Learn 5 words of Cornish
23. Learn 5 words of Manx
24. Learn 5 words of Breton
25. Learn how to crop, resize, and write on images in Photoshop Elements.
26. Learn how to Podcast.

Taking Care of Myself

27. Get pregnant or know for sure that I can’t.
28. Call OB/GYN’s office.
29. Get that gorram test done.
30. Change doctors.
31. Get a facial.
32. Get a massage.
33. Find a new dentist and get my teeth cleaned.
34. Get a physical.
35. Get an eye exam.
36. Get 8 hours of sleep each night for seven days in a row.
37. Get eyebrows done.
38. Get a manicure

Getting things done

39. Renew Passport
40. Get Life Insurance for the Hubby.
41. Deal with the items in the dry-cleaning bag.
42. Compile emergency procedures document for home.
43. Get rid of the Health Rider.
44. Buy three soft-sided cat carriers (0/3)
45. Clean out and organize the pantry.
46. Get collection of music audiotapes down to only the amount that will fit in the red thing.
47. Put the wall hanging on the wall.
48. Replace my missing work shoes.
49. Clear stuff away from the piano completely.
50. Get properly fitted for a bra.
51. Get rid of the tires in the shed.
52. Properly implement a filing system.

Reading and Writing/Blogging

53. Read The Celtic Twilight by W. B. Yeats
54. Read The Summer of Cotton Candy by Debbie Viguie
55. Get paid for a piece of writing that isn’t on a blog.
56. Finish Of Clocks and Christmas
57. Go through (and type up if needed) 5 notebooks (0/5)
58. Write my half of Chris’s fic.
59. Post a cartoon that I’ve drawn on a blog.
60. Set up a week’s worth of emergency Silliness.org posts.
61. Finish that list of Doctor Who episodes (with availability and links)
62. Finish copying posts from thebookstacks.com
63. Back up watchingdrwho.com
64. Read The Hunter’s Moon by O. R. Melling
65. Read The Summer King by O. R. Melling
66. Read Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair
67. Hunt down the book “Oh No It Isn’t” By Paul Cornell.
68. Hunt down the book “Lungbarrow” by Marc Platt
69. Read the HSP Book

Financial Matters

70. Pay off the camera.
71. Pay off the Alienware computer.
72. Pay off my computer.
73. Spend 7 days in a row without going out to eat (Including Starbucks.)
74. Go 60 days without using the big credit cards.
75. Open a savings account.
76. Get a Safety Deposit box.

Food and Crafty stuff

77. Make a fan music video.
78. Make Mundane.
79. Make Homemade Mushy Peas
80. Try 5 new restaurants. (0/5)
81. Try 5 new kinds of tea. (0/5)
82. Scan in the old west pic (and make flair.)
83. Knit 5 scarves. (0/5)
84. Knit something other than a scarf to completion.
85. Make a medieval dress for myself.
86. Find, or in some other way procure, a pink Romana coat.
87. Try a new craft.

Encounter Culture

88. See five plays. (0/5)
89. See Bride and Prejudice.
90. Watch the original Great Train Robbery.
91. Catch up on Doctor Who Podshock through episode 106.
92. Go to Gallifrey One #20.
93. Watch all of the available First Doctor episodes.
94. Record myself singing 3 songs. (0/3)
95. Get an old west picture taken with the hubby.
96. Send a sneaky/fun present to someone.
97. Listen to the first 20 Big Finish Doctor Who Audio Adventures. (0/20)
98. Watch all available 2nd Doctor Episodes.
99. Call local comic book store about Doctor Who comics.

List Stuff

100. Make a list of things to do before I die.
101. Once the old list is nearly done, write up a new one.

I’ve spend the last couple of days working in my back garden with some friends (one of which was my little sister, Dani.) It was sort of like Ground Force, actually. Except for the fact that I was there and participating. I’ve been living in the same place for about a year and half, now. In all of that time, I have pruned the roses and weeded the back dirt a couple of times. And that’s about it.

In my defense, I was barely here for the first seven months that my stuff and KoshVader lived here. I worked really far away, and I spent a lot of time at my parents’ place. Since the end of February…I have had no good excuse. Excuses, yes. Good excuses, no. So, my back garden looked like this on Friday:

Before (the dirt):

And if you stood in the dirt and looked the other way you would see…

Before (the patio):

No. My back garden is not large, but it is larger than most of the others in the huge apartment complex in which I dwell. It’s about 30 feet long and varies between 10 feet to 13 feet across. That includes the patio, by the way.

Saturday dawned nice and clear (unlike the very rainy Friday.) And then, the crew arrived.

We weeded and tried to even out the dirt area. My sister had brought with her some wood that her Husband had pre-cut and drilled to make some raised beds. My dirt is right next to the stump of a very large tree…which, instead of removing, the builders…built on it. Yes. At some point it will rot through, and my parking overhang will fall down. That and the fence. So, I have all of these huge roots going through the dirt. As you might imagine, this makes it very entertaining to dig any sort of hole in the garden. All hail my Brother-in-law for all of the work he did to get the logs ready! We surveyed the area, decided what we wanted to do, and headed off for the Home Depot. We returned very laden down with stuff.

We managed to get the raised beds set up and lined, and we made a French Drain before it was time to leave for my Birthday dinner. (We’d discovered that there is a drain pipe that runs down next to the neighbor’s chimney. To keep the water from flooding the area during some future rainstorm, we dug a trench, lined it with special cloth, filled it with rocks, covered most of the rocks with more fabric, and covered that with dirt. Now, the water should drain out into the other side of the fence. And I’ve learned a new thing. Cool!)

On Saturday, Dani and I arose early and went to [tag]OSH[/tag] (there is a [tag]Starbucks[/tag] and a [tag]Noah’s Bagels[/tag] next door. Guess what we had for breakfast.) At OSH, we purchased three bricks to finish the French Drain and a few pavers for pots (and a theoretical future chair) to sit on. We stopped by home to drop these off, and ran off again. After a trip to [tag]Lowe’s[/tag] and a lovely Nursery, we returned to my place and got to work. (After a little lunch.)

We filled the raised beds. We laid down the pavers and my cool stepping stones. We planted. We tidied. And now, my back garden looks much nicer. (Even though there are a few more things that I have planned for some point when I have a bit of money. Like a fountain and a trellis.) Like my blue pots? They were on sale!

After (the garden):

And looking the other way…

After (the patio):

That’s my sister there is the second pic. She’s following the family tool cleaning protocol. You must clean all tools before putting them away. Or, our Grandpa Leon will haunt you or something. Seriously.

What do you think of the garden now? The white wall will eventually have a trellis to break it up. It just happens that the ones I like are all a wee bit on the expensive side. I’ve got herbs in the raise bed on the left, and Snapdragons and Pansies(?) in the bed on the right. Oh, and mint in the big terracotta pot in front of the bricks.

Luckily, Dani took all of the recycling with her when she left. My apartment doesn’t have recycling, but I can’t bring myself to just throw all of the recyclables away. (My sister is an Environmental Scientist. I blame her.) So, I took the opportunity to re-organize my tool closet (behind the ugly brown door on the patio) which was where most of the bottles and paper had been located.

I’m exhausted. …But at least my [tag]garden[/tag] looks and smells nice. (Yes, I bought four Basil plants, Rosemary, and Catnip.)

This was quite the Birthday present. Thanks, Dani and Co.!

Before:

and now, After:

So, as you may imagine, we found the missing package. The [tag]Mail Organizer[/tag] was in fact at the Post Office. It just had the wrong address on the box end. Not on the mailing label, that was fine. Someone who was putting the boxes in their spots put an 8 instead of a 0 on the box bottom. I went over to the post office, and explained my problem. After a bit of computer checking, etc. the nice lady who was helping me went into the back to have a quick look. Lo and behold. There was my box in the wrong spot. Yay! I have now tidied the area and it makes quite a difference. I even discovered that my other cell phone charger was plugged in there. My bumper sticker is even on my car. Now, if I can only keep it that way. *fingers crossed*

Once I left the Post Office with my prize, I went off in search of the DMV. Yes, I had printed out a map before I left, but the map said to take the freeway and I wasn’t planning on doing that. The destination was only 2 exits up according to said map. Why do they always insist on including the freeway for short trips like that? These are the things that I wonder about. Anyway, I managed to get into the correct area, only to find that the road the DMV was supposed to be on (according to their website) was almost completely closed for construction. Argh. ‘Fine’ I told myself. ‘I’m going home to find another [tag]DMV[/tag].’ And I started driving back along the road I’d found myself on.

…And drove right past the DMV. Yes indeed. It turns out that it’s big enough to have entrances on three streets. So I parked my car and went in. It had a completely different set of processes than the last couple of DMVs I’ve been to. It took me a minute to figure out where to go. Oh. Where it says “start here.” Duh. I don’t have to get a number or my forms first. Right. *smacks forehead* The lady at the “start here” counter gave me a form to fill out for a driver’s license renewal and a number that they were going to call. I filled out the form. They called my number. I did my eye test. Paid my money. Got my picture taken (i remembered not to wear white for a wonder) and left with my temp license. No written test or anything. Now that’s a load off of my mind.

I even got to sleep in this morning. And I’m going off to take a wee nap now. I need days off to be like this more often.

All this time I thought that I was turning into my Nana (pictured at left. 92 this year, by the way.) I have a thing for crispy pizza, and I prefer thin china for my cups. My Mum and I joke about the fact that I’m skipping a generation and turning straight into her mother. But now… Well, I have checked out two books on organizing.

I could ignore the voice thing. My sister sounds like my Mum, too. It’s just that I also say the same things in the same tone. Again, my Mum and I are in the same line of work, so this can be explained away. (Though, it is sort of startling to hear her exact voice coming out of my mouth when I say things like “Walk!”) My Husband will tell you that my Mother and I have many of the same mannerisms. I could explain that away as the effects of nature and nurture. Everything could be explained away. But when you add the organizing books, a whole picture begin to emerge. My Mum has this thing about organizing and plastic organizers and books on organizing and 3×5 cards. The list goes on. I’d say that it has something to do with the fact that we are both Librarians, but I’d just be fooling myself.

Oh, well. I don’t really mind that much. My Mum is cool. I just want to make sure that I get to turn into my Nana too. I think it would be fun to say whatever I want just to shock the grandkids.

Like many of you folks out there, I feel the need to get more organized. To that end I have signed up for 30Boxes, one of those websites that helps you keep track of dates. You can put in everything from Doctor’s appointments to birthdays and they will send you a reminder e-mail a day before the event. If you would like me to know your Birthday/Anniversary/etc. feel free to comment with the date and event. I’ll gladly add it to my lovely little account. I wonder where I’ve been hiding that I haven’t heard about this before.

Also, in the spirit of organizational zeal that I’m working on, I have purchased a [tag]Mail Organizer[/tag] (shown above) from the [tag]Acorn[/tag] catalog. Hopefully, this will help me to go from this:

to something a wee bit neater. I’ll finally have a spot where my keys belong. Yay! Right now I just sort of drop them somewhere. I try to leave them on top of one of my bookcases, but I’m not very reliable about doing that. Here’s hoping that this makes a difference.

Do you have any organizational tips to pass along? (Yes, I know that I need to de-junk. I also need to find someplace closer to take my recyclables. My apartment doesn’t offer recycling. Le Sigh.)